These are typically (but not always) 14-seater mini-vans run by cooperatives. They're cheap, at times unsafe, and usually very quick getting you from A to B (unless the bus is pulled over by the police for some kind of violation or stuck in a massive Nairobi-style traffic jam). They're notorious for breaking traffic rules and every now and then a matatu on a long-haul route outside Nairobi gets into a serious (read: casualties) accident. But unless you have your own car, a driver or the money to take taxis everywhere, matatus are a necessity, and really, I don't think folks in Nairobi could live without them.
So it was big news when on November 1 the municipal government announced that as of January 2011 the matatu ownership structure will change, so that single-owner matatus will no longer be able to operate. The idea, officials explained, was to phase out the mini-vans and encourage matatu owners to form special associations ("saccos") to encourage more responsibility and accountability among matatu owners and the drivers to whom they rent out their vehicles. It's supposed to become a self-regulating industry.
"Matatu owners entrust the responsibility of their vehicles to reckless drivers and this is what we want to eliminate," transport minister Amos Kimunya told The Daily Nation newspaper in early November.
The Matatu Welfare and Matatu Owners Association welcomed the announcement, saying it would "rein in" disobedient drivers.
Speaking with some taxi drivers (one of whom only lasted three days as a matatu driver and then quit because the pressure was too much), many seemed skeptical that the new system would take root. A system where there's more accountability could make it more expensive for matatu owners, and maybe that cost will be passed down to passengers. On the other hand, it could make public transit safer for passengers and discourage the use of private cars which clog up Nairobi roads.
As an aside, I feel compelled to share the names of Nairobi's matatus. Most vans have decals on them, usually some kind of name to identify it, and then usually some kind of religious saying on the back window or bumper. They're not as colourful as Dakar's buses, for example, because the rules are pretty stringent when it comes to colours and decorations, but the names are more than half the fun.
The most memorable I found are:
Cosy
Coexist (where the C is a crescent moon, the O is a Star of David and the T is a cross)
Junior Mafia
Heroes and Heroines
Godzilla
The best place to spot these matatus is at the Westlands roundabout where there are two matatu stages, but I don't dare take out my camera to snap photos for safety reasons.
